The nap was nice, and uneventful. Not being woken up because anyone's face was being eaten was always a win in this place Eventually, she was woken when they arrived at the Karak, and she stretched, looking to Traukon. Conversation was to be made, so she started, taking Elaine’s hand and heading towards the Karak.
“So, how was your Defense Mission?” she asked. The game terms seemed a little strange to voice, but also somehow, a point of reality.
“Ahh, I had an Extermination Mission.Orcs, Goblins, Ratmen. All of them met my Az!” He raised the shining half-moon axe, and thrust it into the air.
“Ratmen?” Estaria’s eyebrows were raised in surprise. She had fought them, but thought them mere constructs…
“The people of Altdorf claim to have seen them, but the Nobles say there is no such thing, and they are just drunks. Sewer cleaners still swear by Ratmen being in the sewers.
“Bah, they definitely exist. Blasted Thaggoraki! They infest the tunnels of the Underway. Warrens all across the Old World and the New. But they are nothing that can’t be solved by Dwarven steel” Traukon put the axe down, and then hefted a large, rune-covered hammer. “As for this, well...Orange Hammer, Thungni’s Hammer. I am no Runesmith but the Runes on it look old. Maybe, we regain knowledge of many runes this day” he nodded, and then put the hammer away as the caravan stopped.
Standing out to meet them, was a Dwarf with a long beard and runed equipment. He had an aura of power and it was pretty clear he was the Runelord of this Karak. As for the Karak itself, it wasn’t quite as impressive as she thought it would be. The sight of a fortress city carved into the mountain was impressive, but it was surprisingly small. Possibly a lesser Karak. Still, Estaria only spent a few seconds staring in awe before unstrapping her Sword, and handing it to the Runelord. Traukon appeared before the Runelord could unsheath the blade, and handed over the Hammer as well.
“An Orc Warboss was wielding this, and so I took it from him, along with his head” Traukon lied. Easier than the truth.
“A most blessed day. Come, enter the Karak! We have meat, ale, and fire for you to rest by!” The Runelord exclaimed, gesturing inside. Estaria entered, and was more amazed than she was by the outside appearance. These Dwarves really did excel at craftsmanship. The carving of the stone was amazing, and the insides were - despite the Dwarves’ stunted size - immense in scope and scale. Inside was a bustle of activity, with Dwarves moving with determination and discipline. There was no meandering, no lost wander, everyone knew where they were going and why. So radically different to a human city.
Guided to the Main Hall, conversation dimmed as she was seen, but a sharp Khazalid command from the Runelord made the seemingly hostile feel go away, and replaced with one of interest and curiosity. Estaria and Elaine were plied with the promised meat and ale, the fire roared and Dwarves pulled her into rancorous activity. Great ruckus filled the air between conversation, about what brought her here, how she felt of what she had seen, and then onto her equipment. Two blacksmiths began to boast they were the superior and could make even the pig-iron slab of metal Estaria was wearing a venerable piece of protection. This argument, fueled by ale, became a brawl, and it was one that Estaria - thoroughly drunk off potent dwarven ale - was dragged into once her food and drink was spilled by the fight. All in all, the night was a glorious one. Spectacular, and truly what she expected a Dwarf dinner to be like.
* * * *
The morning was not quite so good. There was a thumping in her skull, like the pounding of an anvil, and she was surprisingly light, the reason for which was her being almost naked.
“Ahh, she wakes!” A bellow came from a meaty Dwarf, and Estaria got herself up to look at him. It seemed the thumping wasn’t so much in her skull as it was an actual pounding of an anvil. Apparently she passed out in a Blacksmith’s forge. While in naught but her underwear, and her hair strangely styled.
“Seems like I had a fun night” she muttered, scratching her head and standing up proper.
“Aye. Troargargrum and Elbegg started a fight over who could fix your armour, and then you got dragged into it. After black eyes, all three of your barreled in here, and demanded my Forge. It was a surprise to see a human come in with two dwarves. I placated them by telling them I would set the forge up, but you said you wanted to watch. So you took off your armour and did just that. And then, five minutes later, exclaimed it was too hot, threw your clothes into the forge, and passed out in the corner. The others didn’t return, so I assume they forgot. As for the grindal, they were there when you got here”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
The Dwarf had a tone of mirth as he explained what Estaria had done last night, and the woman’s cheeks flushed.
“Sorry, for the bother” she said, looking about, and then stepping backwards. “I’m….going to go find some clothes” she told him, waiting for his nod before taking off like a bullet. Her agility was tremendous, and with her Celerity, she could reach an obscene level of speed, which got her to the quartermaster in short order. “So, do you have any human-sized clothes?” she asked. The quartermaster, who had been busy doing his daily work, looked up at this muscular, half-naked human and just stared.
“Estaria! You run like a horse!” came a booming shout from Traukon, who was running very fast for a Dwarf, and carrying a package under his arm. This package was handed to Es when he arrived. “I heard what happened last night, so I went to go find this. Some Dwarf had a hobby of collecting Elf dresses, and then he got an arrow to the skull, so they were just gathering dust. Strange Dawi, that one…”
Estaria was deeply thankful for any clothes, and the package was opened, revealing a beautiful dress, which went on and made the Captain beam with delight. The material was so smooth, and so light, she could really get used to wearing something like this.
“Definitely not going to be throwing this in the forge. Thank you, Traukon” Estaria even gave him a curtsey now she had the dress to do it. It was lost on the Dwarf, however, who just waved.
“Come on! Breakfast is ready. Elaine is waiting for you as well” Traukon exclaimed.
“Shit, Elaine. What happened to her after I…apparently went off to a forge?” Elaine asked, a little worried she might have gotten lost or in trouble here.
“She fell in well with the women, because she felt ‘Awkward doing nothing while others did around her’” Traukon explained. It was good that Elaine had not gotten in any brawls, Dwarves packed a punch…
“So, how did my hair get like this?” Es asked, a less pressing question but still one that needed to be asked. It was, to feel,quite the attractive design. And as they passed some reflective stone, she even admired it a little in what passed for a mirror.
“Ahh, some young Kvinn saw you about and exclaimed she had never worked an Umgi’s hair before, and she could tell tales of giving a warrior woman some plats, like Helgar Longplats of old. And so you sat down on the floor and let her plat it. And then she went off to tell her friends. Now stop gawking! This Dawi needs food!”
It was a hilarious breakfast, if the laughter was any indication. Though, possibly half from the system and half from her own actions, she seemed to have an ultimately positive reputation with this Karak. She had got a title of Azul Umgi or “Dependable Human”. Which, knowing them, was actually really flattering. Elaine was serving, with such grace and comfort this might as well have been a tavern she had worked twenty years in, rather than a Karak that probably hadn’t seen a human in thrice that. She was really in her element, as Estaria got a deep kiss - to the cheer of the Dawi watching - and then she headed back to the kitchen.
Estaria, inundated with good-natured ribbing of her diligent partner, her glorious accomplishments last night, and how anyone could stand wearing the scrap she walked in with.
After the liveliest breakfast she had ever had in her life, Estaria was left to wander, Elvish dress and grindal in her hair. This wander took her over to the gunsmiths, where she marveled at the pristine craftsmanship of the weapons on show. They weren’t for sale, and Estaria didn’t insult anyone with the offer, but she could look. And hope. That hope was rewarded when she saw one gunsmith not working on guns, but instead setting up in the training grounds, and doing something interesting. Above him on a board, hung the most beautiful pistol she had ever seen in her life. Long barreled, engraved front, Gromril engraving, rifled internals...she spent a long time looking at it before finally going up to the Dwarf and asking. It took him a few seconds to get over the shock of the Umgi appearing, but then he spoke easily enough.
“Setting up a contest to win my pistol. I don’t want it to sit in someone’s trophy cabinet. I want it used! She begs to see action” The gunsmith was passionate, and Estaria nodded, though she did admit the lack of current equipment. “Ack, no worry. Plenty of spare thrunds lying about” he then pulled one out from under the cart, and handed it to Estaria. The weapon was a magnificent bit of Dwarf craft, perfectly balanced, smooth finish, and something strange, that she hadn’t seen before. It was closer to a carbine that the Outriders used than a full rifle to her, but that was not something her familiarity couldn’t overcome.
“What’s this?” she asked, pointing to a strange cap. Having seen that, the Dwarf panicked and tried to grab the gun, but it was held out of reach by Estaria. Seeing no other option, the Dwarf grumbled and then kicked a loose stone.
“It’s a percussion cap. Firearm addition that helps keep the powder dry and also allows for faster reloading than most firearms. Trying to get all the kinks out of it before I take it to the Engineers. A Dwarf doesn’t take to innovation well, they prefer the tradition of proven things” The Gunsmith explained, before sudden surprise as the crack of the firearm rang out, and then Estaria was reloading it. The dwarf spluttered, and there was a second shot, before she nodded. Precision and her Traits might be changing things, but there was still a degree of skill required in firing. Precision would only allow for more accuracy, you still needed to align and gauge distance and drop.
“Well, if the Engineers won’t accept your Percussion Cap, then you should take it to Nuln. Imperial Gunnery School would love such a thing. Was my dream to be an Ironside, once” She smiled, and then handed the gun back.The dwarf seemed thoughtful for a moment, and then handed her a different gun. More dwarves gathered, and the contest began. Here, she saw it was not just the craftsmanship of the Dwarves that was strong, but the skill at arms as well. Their accuracy was something to be respected, even against Estaria’s preternatural ability. But, eventually it came down to the wire and Estaria took the victory, earning the right to own “Troll-Drenger”. Which, was stored away in the dress and a happy Estaria left to continue her exploration. She might not be in a Karak again in her life, so she was going to make the most of it.